Dave Nonis has been fired after three seasons as the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. The news came down last evening after Nonis met with owner Francesco Aquilini. Nonis oversaw a club that earned a franchise record 105 points just over a year ago, but one that missed the playoffs in two of his three seasons at the helm. “We want to thank Dave for the many contributions he has made helping to build our organization during his tenure,” Aquilini acknowledged in a statement released by the Canucks. “However, I think this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It’s not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn’t in the playoffs.”Nonis was widely criticized for his inability to improve a Canucks’ squad that lost in the second round of the playoffs last spring to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. Although he engineered one of the most lopsided trades in Canucks’ history when he dealt Todd Bertuzzi, Brian Allen and Alex Auld for Roberto Luongo and Lukas Krajicek, it appears as though his inability to pull the trigger on any significant deals since that time was his ultimate undoing.Before working as the Canucks’ GM, the Burnaby native spent six seasons as the organization’s vice-president of hockey operations. During that time, he was also the team’s chief contract negotiator.Aquilini and Canucks’ CEO Chris Zimmerman will address the media at GM Place this morning at 11 a.m. No announcement has been made concerning the future of head coach Alain Vigneault, who is still under contract. MORE COVERAGE PAGE 10